Page 30 of The Rebel's Prize

"Good evening," she said. "Am I late for dinner?" They'd settled on meeting at the seventh hour, and she hadn't heard any chimes through the window yet.

"No," Lucien said. "I have an offer for you."

"An offer?" she asked, confused. Was she about to be traded for a herd of goats that might prove less troublesome than a wife like her?

He nodded. "Apparently the theater in town has a performance tonight. I thought perhaps we could go."

"They have a theater here?"

"Well, a building that serves for such things," he said. "I make no guarantees as to its standards, but my understanding from the innkeeper is that they get troupes through here fairly regularly, as well as local performers."

That gained her attention. "And is it a troupe playing tonight?"

He smiled, the expression somewhat feral. "Yes. I thought perhaps it would be worth looking."

"Of course," she agreed quickly, then hesitated, glancing down at her dress.

"I'm sure that will be suitable," he said. He cocked his head, studying her. "Though perhaps you should return to that store in the morning to see if they have an evening gown. This may not be the first such stop, and some of the towns will be larger than this."

Larger meaning the theaters would be more expensive and their patrons better dressed. "That’s a good idea. If we have the space." She should have thought of it earlier. Hunting for Deandra's troupe could well mean this wouldn't be the only night they would spend watching whatever passed for entertainment in whatever parts of the empire they ended up traveling to. She had pearl earrings and a necklace Sophie had given her in her bag. They would add some elegance to her outfit. She wasn't yet ready to put Lucien's ring back on her finger, even though she caught the tightening of his jaw at times when he looked at her bare hands.

"I'm sure the wagons will cope with the weight of a few more frocks," Lucien said.

"I'll look in the morning, then."

He smiled and gestured toward the door. "We should go down to dinner if we're to make it to the theater in time."

She took half a step and then froze as a thought struck her. "If it is the troupe Deandra is connected with, she might spot us before we can see her and flee."

Lucien nodded. "Yes, that crossed my mind. As did the fact that I am able to alter our appearances."

He gestured to his face, and she blinked. "The facial illusions? You can do them on both of us?" Without the bond giving her access to Lucien's magic, she had no hope of using it on herself.

"I should be able to. The innkeeper told me the show should only be two hours at most. Not as long as an opera."

She frowned. "Are you sure? We could always send Octarus to check."

"I would rather see for myself," he said. "After all, I can sense the illusions if they're being used as well. And we don't know if there's a water mage working with them. If there is, they may have a sanctii who would notice Octarus."

That made sense, at least. Octarus had been keeping himself out of sight so far. He hadn't offered any complaints about the journey, so she had to assume he was happy. He would have traveled with Rianne. Perhaps he enjoyed it.

She turned to the armoire where her luggage had been stowed, intending to find her jewelry.

"There is one more thing," Lucien said.

"Yes?" Chloe asked, trying to sound calm.

He pulled an envelope from his pocket. "A message."

"Who is that from?" Her stomach tightened again. The emperor? The diplomatic corps? It took her a moment to recognize the crest as Lucien passed it to her.

"Imogene," she said eagerly. "Should I read it now? Do we have time?" Her hands were already opening the envelope.

"As though I could stop you," Lucien said with something approaching a laugh.

That made her stomach relax slightly. "I'll read fast," she promised, unfolding the paper.

There were only two sheets. And it wasn't until she noticed how short the letter was that she stopped to think how Imogene had known where to find her.

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